This is one of Tchaikovsky's finest compositions and a gem of Imperial Russian ballet, preserved through generations of dancers from its original 1890 staging in St Petersburg. The ballet's palatial setting recalls the grandeur of a bygone aristocratic world, of courtiers, complicated courtship and elegant aesthetics. The well known story is perfectly expressed through dance: from the princess's hesitant first steps at her 16th-birthday party, to her triumphant balances with her four suitors.
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